Reaping Day
by Whack-the-beetle
Summary: He had done everything she wanted and the time had come for her to pay her dues. It's a match made in hell, when one as selfish and unscrupulous as Sarah Williams strikes a bargain with the wicked and deceptive Goblin King. Humorous short story, romance if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters._

* * *

 _Everything you wanted I have done._

Oh yes. And she had made sure of that, hadn't she?

* * *

"I wish I could see my friends again, right now!"  
The last words had been emphasized with two petulant raps against the mirror to vent off some of the growing frustration she felt over the continuous absence of her friends.  
She had tried just about any combination of "I need you" and "please come to talk to me" she could think of and nothing had happened – the mirror stubbornly refused to show her what she coveted.  
With an exasperated sigh she ruffled her hair and buried her face in her hands. "It ain't gonna work" she mumbled to herself defeated.

"Not surprising, if you use the wrong words," came the scathing reply to her monologue from behind her.

Sarah looked up and nearly choked on her breath when she locked eyes with the Goblin King in her mirror.  
She turned on her stool abruptly, knocking over a glass of water and several books in her haste. She ignored them and stared instead at the figure of the man, who was casually leaning against her bedpost and was currently regarding her with a superior and slightly bored expression.

"You!" she shrieked.  
"Get out of my room! I defeated you and you have no power over me and if you try to pull off one of your funny games ever again, I swear…"

Her tirade was effectively cut short by his cold and commanding voice, "Enough!"  
His eyes flashed at her dangerously and all of a sudden her bravado evaporated like a balloon that had been punctured.  
She wasn't giving in without a fight though; rather more timidly than in the beginning, yet still with as much contempt as she dared, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"Well Sarah, I believe you made a wish. What is it you desire from me this time?" he drawled.  
When she didn't respond to this, he clucked his tongue impatiently. "Come on girl, I haven't got all day! What is it that you want?"

"A wish?" she repeated somewhat stupidly, grappling with her confusion about the absurdity of the whole situation.

"Yes Sarah, a wish," he replied tartly with an air of someone, who had to explain a simple matter to a very obtuse person.

Something was finally clicking into place.  
"Oh. Well, yes I suppose I was making a wish of sorts. I wished that I could speak to my friends again, " she admitted.

He eyed her shrewdly for a moment. "You mean the dimwits you picked up on your way through my labyrinth?"

"No. I mean my _friends,_ Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo," she snapped, her temper quickly firing up again at his derogative reference to her friends.  
"They said that whenever I needed them, I should call. And I have tried every evening since I got back, it just doesn't work!"  
Even to herself the last bit had sounded whiny and she therefore hurried to add, "Please. I'd love to see them again!"  
She looked up at his impassive face imploringly.

His mouth curled into a disdainful sneer, he shrugged off the bedpost and conjured a crystal with a wave of his hand.  
"I don't know why anyone would bother, but I can certainly grant you your wish. What are you willing to pay for it though?" he lifted his gaze from the crystal in his hand and looked at her calculatingly.

Sarah had been busy staring at the crystal, her hands already outstretched to take it from him, when his last question shook her out of her reverie.  
"Pay?" she asked mystified.

"Of course. Or did you think having ones wishes fulfilled came for nothing?"  
He raised an eyebrow at her, as if daring her to say "Yes" and thus confirm his suspicions, that she was not only selfish and bratty, but stupid on top of it too.

She was waiting for him to elaborate and when he didn't, she prompted rather aggressively, "Well, what do you want?"

His eyebrows rose even further up on his forehead and belatedly she realized that she may have insulted him with her rude reply. After all he had shown up to grant her wish, a little gratitude or at least politeness probably wasn't going amiss.  
"I mean what would you like to have for fulfilling my wish? " she corrected herself.

He smirked at her, knowing full well that she was only barely civil because he could offer her something she wanted, and then took his own sweet time to look around her room and make her squirm while she was waiting for his decision about what he would accept for payment.  
His roaming eyes finally settled on something behind her shoulder and with determination he pointed to the object. "I will have this necklace."

It was a little heart charm on a gold chain, given to Sarah on her thirteenth birthday by her mother and she was, therefore, rather attached to it. She picked it up and contemplated it, painful indecision clearly written on her face.  
"And you won't have anything else? Any other piece of jewellery?" she ascertained glancing up at him.  
He silently shook his head and watched her agonize over the small gold chain for another moment before she gave herself a visible jerk and dropped the trinket in his gloved palm with a resigned sigh.

"There. That wasn't so hard now, was it?" he taunted her, a triumphant smile playing around his lips.  
"And here is your wish. Until we meet again Sarah."

And before she had time to prepare herself, he tossed the crystal at her head, causing her to shield her face in anticipation of the impact.  
It never came.  
The crystal vanished in a puff of smoke upon making contact – and with it its sinister creator.  
His derisive laughter still ringing in her ears, she stamped her foot in vexation. "Arrogant jerk!"

Her annoyance was quickly dispelled though, when she spotted with a squeal of delight the familiar forms of Ludo, Hoggle and Sir Didymus in her mirror.

She had thought at the time that the loss of the necklace her mother had given her was a small sacrifice to make, when in turn she could have her friends from the labyrinth back in her life. It was after all only a piece of jewellery and a slightly tacky one at that too.  
She came to regret the decision more thoroughly though, when her mother died in a car crash some two weeks later and everything connected with Linda became all of a sudden an invaluable treasure to her mourning self.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: do not own anything from the Labyrinth

* * *

Sarah Williams was the girl who had it all, as people would say.

Some said that she must have been born under a lucky star, others leaned more towards the theory, that she was simply spoiled rotten by her parents.  
But they all agreed, that whatever Sarah Williams touched, became an immediate success, and whenever she wanted something, she would find a way to achieve her goals.  
They were, of course, wrong on all accounts.

It hadn't taken her all too long before she involuntarily summoned him again.  
She was standing outside her school on a cold and dark November evening and stared unhappily at the scene in the illuminated windows.  
It galled her to no end to have to watch the other people from her drama class congratulate the silly frump of a girl on getting the lead role in the next school play.  
 _Her. Lead. Role._  
She had been preparing to play the part for months and secretly had held no doubts that she would be eventually chosen for the role. And now she had been shunned aside to play an unimportant side role, while the usurping trollop stole her show.  
She felt the yellow bile of envy well up within her and leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

She gnashed her teeth and muttered angrily under her breath, "Oh, I so wish that you would just get lost!"

And that's just was what she did.  
Luckily for Sarah, the parents of her rival suddenly decided to emigrate to a distant southern-american country, effectively taking away her competitor and leaving the road free for Sarah to take on the lead role.  
All of a sudden life seemed very sweet again - and not even the loss of a considerable strand of hair she had to part with in exchange for her wish could dampen her mood for long.

That was the moment when things really started to pick up.  
She had licked blood and was determined to use her newly found powers as much as possible in order to gain what she wanted.  
And Sarah Williams wanted many things.

Whether it was the overpriced trendy sneakers that her parents categorically refused to buy for her- notwithstanding all the coaxing and temper tantrums she had thrown- or a ticket for the long sold out concert, they would be hers.  
Even the weather seemed to smile down at Sarah; and when she wistfully uttered the wish that the rain may stop in time for her garden party, the clouds would miraculously dissolve right on time, despite the weather man's firm assertions, that the rainy weather would continue for another three days.

No matter how small or petty the wish, he would unfailingly grant them all.

There was always a price to be paid of course.  
The demands he made of her in trade for his wish fulfilling were very varied.  
Some of them mere trifles, she didn't have to think about twice, but quite often he had a knack for choosing something, that would in some way irk her to give up.  
May it be that he would ask for a well loved old cuddly toy or her favourite blouse, she later realized would have been the perfect item of clothing to wear for the party on the following weekend.  
Some of his requests were strange and did not make sense to her, like when he had sent her to pick a special flower for him or blow on one of his crystals.

Furthermore, she had quickly learned that some wishes came with side effects or conditions.

Belatedly he had informed her that the connection to the Underground and her friends could only stay open for thirteen years. After that she would have to decide whether she wanted to come down to the Underground forever or continue her life above and loose her friends.  
This hadn't greatly bothered her at the time. Thirteen years seemed to be a long time in her perspective and who knew what she would want so far in the future?  
Besides she was fairly confident that some kind of compromise could be found when the time came to decide.

On top of that, he had also conveniently forgotten to mention that not only her friends were able to cross the portal between the two worlds, and as a result the neighbourhood was now besieged with an invasion of mischievous goblins.  
She had confronted him about that, but he had merely laughed in her face and asked her what she had expected and whether she wished him to close the portal.  
Naturally, she had declined.  
Selfishness had won out and she tried to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the complaints of missing garden tools, mangled newspapers and stubborn accounts of monsters hiding in closets, that kept half the neighbourhood's kids awake all night.

Moreover, time and experience had taught her, that she had to phrase her wishes carefully, lest he should take the liberty to interpret ambiguous demands in his own twisted way.

Certainly memorable was the one time, when she had wished for something exciting to happen to relieve the crippling boredom during summer break and, consequently, found herself mopping up water for the whole afternoon since a pipe had burst in the cellar.  
Even more horrific was the incident with her teacher.  
She had been lazy and all of a sudden the morning of her calculus test had arrived without her being prepared for it. She could of course simply have wished for a good grade, but her panic clouded brain only provided her with the burning wish that the class and therefore the calculus test might be cancelled.  
Even Sarah Williams felt guilty when she considered the fact that she was –if not directly- but in a sense responsible for the freak accident that had befallen the teacher on his way to work and from which it took him several months to recuperate.

Another lesson she had to learn the hard way was that it did not pay off to dare to cheat him out of his reward.  
Not that she hadn't tried of course, but the consequences had been – to put it mildly- very unpleasant and she had refrained from ever doing so again.

Soon after her sixteenth birthday she had taken a fancy to another boy at her school.  
Unfortunately, he belonged very much to the popular crowd and as an adept football player was greatly admired by boys and girls alike.  
And with so many people constantly fawning over him, there was not a chance in hell that he would notice plain little Sarah Williams – unless of course you happened to be acquainted with the devil in person.

So Sarah had explained to an incredulous Goblin King about her crush and what she expected him to do about it.  
His facial expression had become increasingly more stony while she enumerated her reasons for seeking his assistance and he finally interrupted her gushing in a deceptively amiable and quiet voice.  
"I see. So in short you ask me to make this boy fall in love with you, since you confess yourself unable to achieve this by your own means?"

His biting sarcasm had stung quiet a bit, but not one to be beaten down easily Sarah had looked him straight in the eye and replied boldly, "Yes!"

The Goblin King couldn't help but admire her guts in a situation like this; chuckling quietly to himself, he pretended to deliberate her request for a long moment and then said, "Fine. It shall be done. But under one condition, " he quickly added with a raised forefinger when he saw the ecstatic smile that threatened to break over her face.

"Naturally. What it is that you want this time then?"

A wicked smile spread across his face and he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "He will be yours, but your first kiss belongs to me!"

"Whaaat?!" she sputtered. "You can't be serious! This is not…"

"Fair?" he mocked.  
"Take it or leave it little girl. This is my condition," he spat and emphasized the finality of the statement by crossing his arms over his chest.

She watched open-mouthed as he proceeded to adjust the fingers on his gloves in a decidedly unconcerned manner.  
She thought hard for a moment and then turned back to him with a sly smirk on her face.  
"Ok, deal. But I have one condition myself."

He looked at her questioningly and signalled her to go on.  
"You fulfil my wish first and collect your reward afterwards. After all I am not _entirely_ convinced, that you can do this anyway," she explained with just enough doubt in her voice to be convincing.  
"I want some proof, as I am sure you understand," she said reasonably and simpered.

It was rather well done and if there was one thing the Goblin King could not stomach, it was people questioning or belittling his accomplishments and so he immediately rose to the bait.  
"Agreed", he growled. "But beware, I will not tolerate disrespect from you and I will not be trifled with", he warned her.

Sarah gulped at the hidden threat in his voice, but determined to outsmart the Goblin King for once she refused to let it intimidate her too much.

Predictably, the whole affair had ended in disaster.

At first, everything had gone smoother than she could have hoped.  
The object of her desire had accidentally bumped into her in the corridor, causing her to trip and send her books flying all over the place. Sprawled on the floor she had graciously accepted his lengthy apology, which had escalated into an invitation for coffee, and soon afterwards they were rumoured to be _the_ new couple at school.

Sarah had revelled in the jealous glares that were aimed at her when she strolled across the campus holding hands with her Adonis.  
In her elated mood she decided to grab the opportunity and dispose of her first kiss with the hottest boy at school and get one over the Goblin King at the same time.  
She had cornered him in a secluded area of the courtyard and he –interpreting her intentions correctly- had obligingly leaned in for the kiss.  
She had been waiting, eyes closed in anticipation of the soon to happen kiss, when he withdrew suddenly, disgust clearly etched on his face. "Ew, Sarah! Sorry but you positively reek of garlic!"  
And with that he had turned around and left her standing there dumbfounded.

The afternoon following this little exchange had been beyond humiliating.  
By the end of it, she had grown heartily tired of people pinching their nose when she walked past and shouting things like "Watch out guys, here comes Garlic-breath!" or " Hey Williams, found a vampire yet?"

In a rage she had stomped home after school and retired to her bedroom at the first opportunity.  
"Goblin King" she had bellowed at the top of her voice, "show your glittering ass, _right now_!"

"My, my, language dear. And would that now be your next wish?" he quipped.

Sarah shot him a murderous glare, too furious yet to respond to his taunting, and he took the chance to rub it in just a little bit more.  
Making a great show about wafting the air away from his face, he looked her up and down and wrinkled his nose.  
"Dear god Sarah, have you happened to eat some _garlic_?"

"It's not funny!" she exploded, ready to strangle him or smack the stupid grin right off his face.  
Her sense of self-preservation was quiet strong through, and so she took out her anger on her bedpost instead.  
"I do not smell of garlic! " she snarled, punctuating each word with a punch against the innocent piece of furniture.

"I am afraid, you do so now", he sing-songed in reply, positively shaking with the laughter he tried to hold back.

"Then the take the smell away from me! Please " she added grudgingly.

"Of course dear, any time. As soon as you honour your part of our bargain, " he replied, flashing her his smuggest and broadest smile yet.

Seeing that there was no arguing with him about this point, she reluctantly complied with his demand.  
"Ok fine then. Do what you must."  
And closing her eyes, she clenched her jaw and steeled her frame in preparation, as if he had threatened her with a particularly unpleasant and painful medical procedure.

He took a moment to relish the sight of her before he stepped closer and cupped her face in both of his hands.  
At the touch of his lips on hers, her eyes quickly fluttered open and briefly bored into this mismatched ones, and when he deepened the kiss, she even allowed herself to place her arms around his neck and press herself lightly against his chest.

After a while she withdrew from him rather abruptly and pushed him away with a hand against his chest.  
Struggling to appear as unaffected as possible, she said in a chilly tone, " I believe that is quite enough now!"

He smiled at her knowingly and gave her a mock bow. "Thank you Sarah. Until next time."  
And then he vanished, leaving the innuendo hanging in the air like a thick cloud of perfume.

As kisses went, she had to admit that it had been a surprisingly enjoyable experience. For a brief moment she even wondered whether her school Adonis would have given her a similarly good show for her money.  
She pushed the errant thought away quickly- after all it wasn't as if she had any basis for comparison- thanks to the Goblin King.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Do not own anything from the Labyrinth._

* * *

One would have thought that a bungled first kiss would have taught Sarah Williams to exercise at least some caution when it came to her wish-making, but in her logic failure just meant that you had to try a little bit harder the next time.

At least he had been generous enough to make the boy in question and the rest of the school forget about the whole garlic-fiasco.  
A favour, he had informed her, he had only granted because she had actually given an effort when kissing him.  
Of course, she had categorically denied this, but couldn't help feeling grudgingly grateful at this unexpected show of thoughtfulness all the same.

And so with a little help from the obliging Goblin King, the gods of fortune kept smiling on Sarah Williams.

As she became older, she had at some stage ceased to wish for every silly little whim that entered her head. In exchange though, her wishes had become all the grander.

Nobody was really surprised when Sarah Williams drove to school for the first time in her flashy new convertible and strutted over the parking lot smirking proudly at the other students, who were left to contemplate their rusty second or third handers in silent envy.

The bargain for this one had been particularly sweet - he had asked only for a hideous glass sculpture of a unicorn, given to her by a friend some years back. Secretly glad to get rid of the monstrosity, she had put on a show of reluctance all the same before agreeing to the exchange.  
Some things had to be done out of principle, after all, and it would not do to let him know that he was actually doing her two favours.

She had, however, let him know what she thought of his taste when she observed him pocketing the revolting statue with an almost raptured smile on his face.

Probably the best thing about her wishes was that no one ever questioned her about them - people just seemed to accept her bizarre luck and fortune without batting an eyelash.  
Consequently, not one eyebrow was raised when Sarah Williams, always only an average student throughout her school time, got accepted into one of the elite universities of the country to study drama and literature - at the cost of her teenage time diary.

The thing had been a present from her father for her twelfth birthday and she had dutifully filled its pages with tedious accounts of her every day life and teenage sorrows, before she had got bored and abandoned it just before she had turned fifteen.  
Luckily so, one might add, as the events of her running the labyrinth had therefore never found their way into her diary.  
She shuddered at the thought of the Goblin King perusing her memories of his realm, and - even more embarrassing – partaking in the occasional stray and very private thoughts she might have given its monarch.

Needless to say that Sarah excelled in her courses, even though nobody could actually recall her ever working as hard as the rest of the students.  
But soon after graduation, it had started to dawn on her that it was not easy to make a living out of a drama and literature degree.

Naturally histrionic and with a tendency to seek the attention of other people, she had unsurprisingly set her eyes on a career as an actress, and – quite convinced at her own brilliance- had energetically started to attend the castings for movie and theatre roles.

Where expectations are unreasonably high, disappointment is usually not far off, and so it didn't take all that long before Sarah became more than a little frustrated with the repeated refusals.  
And where goals cannot be achieved despite our best efforts, wishful thinking - or in Sarah's case thinking about wishes - is the next logical step.

It had been a brutal week in many respects – far too many castings for her to catch up on sleep and be prepared for the roles in good time, and then not a single acceptance yet again.  
Not even for the peach juice commercial she had stooped to apply for in her desperation.  
Mind you, if she properly thought about it, she could have quiet possibly got that one - if she could have shown just a teensy bit more enthusiasm towards the product she was supposed to advertise.

So Friday evening found Sarah exhausted but agitated as she nervously paced around her apartment wringing in her hands the application form for a major movie role.  
A silent battle was raging in her head, reflected by the wistful look on her face as she hesitantly unfolded the application form, alternating with an expression of sullen dejection when she crumpled it up again.  
Stopping in her tracks, she gave the form another long and hard glare and frowned.  
Suddenly her eyes lit up with the steely glint of determination and she drew in a deep breath before calling out in a clear and ringing voice, "Jareth!"

She had eventually stopped goblin-kinging him when she had left the last throes of awkward adolescence behind and felt that, as an adult, she should be on more equal footing and, therefore, on first name terms with him.  
Naturally, without asking his permission to do so beforehand.  
He had merely registered the novel familiar address with a sardonic grin, and if he ever resented her for the insolence, he had at least never shown any outward signs of it.

Therefore 'Jareth' it was. And, of course, 'I have a wish'.

The person in question materialized in her handkerchief-sized apartment soon afterwards in his trademark swirl of glitter.  
Catching sight of his luxuriously clad figure, she immediately accosted him, "Ah Jareth, there you are. Listen, I have an important wish – no I have the most important wish ever for you to fulfil. I want to be…"

"Good evening Sarah. And nice to see you too," he interrupted somewhat sourly with a pointed glare in her direction.

"Yes, yes, quiet so I suppose. But as I said, this wish…" she steamrollered on, impatiently waving aside his comment.

"I heard you the first time. You obviously are yet again in need of my assistance, but surely that's no reason to ignore the civilities, is it?" he chided.

Sarah internally rolled her eyes at his lecturing but obediently fluted in honeyed tones: "Hello Jareth, how are you?"

He seemed mollified enough by the tooth-achingly sweet smile plastered across her face – or simply aware that it was the best he could get under the circumstances.  
"Much better. Well, what does little Sarah Williams covet so badly this time?"

She needed no further encouragement and launched instantly into a long-winded account of her miserable last few weeks, emphasized properly the hardships of her threadbare flat and finished her lament by waving the application form in front of his nose, while explaining to him her deep desire to be an actress.  
Notably, not just any actress - no that would not do - she wished to be the most famous and successful actress ever, adored and admired by the millions.

While patiently listening to her rant, Jareth took the time to study her more closely and quickly recognized the well-known symptoms he had come to associate with her being on one of her crusades.  
She had an almost manic expression on her face and her green eyes sparkled brightly with the barely concealed greed and desire.

When she had ended her tale, after describing to him in detail the various films and awards she was expecting to win in the future, he couldn't hold back a snort.  
"Quiet the modesty incarnate as usual, I see, " he sneered.  
"You do realize though, that this is a pretty tall wish, do you?"

"And? Too difficult for you?" she challenged him, jutting out her chin defiantly.

"Hardly", he replied flatly, refusing to be provoked by her.  
"But such wishes _do_ come with a higher price," he said delicately, reminding her of an oily car dealer trying to wheedle a better offer out of his costumer.

"I don't care! Whatever it is, I'll do it. Just name your price," she declared pompously.

He had started walking in circles around her, tapping his gloved index finger against his lips and glancing at her every so often with a furrowed brow, as if trying to work out which part of her would do best as payment.  
Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and clapped his hands.  
"I have it. I think for this one I will require a little blood of you," he announced pointing his index finger at her chest.

Her face turned from giddy expectancy to a study of disgust.  
"Ew! That's gross! Seriously blood? I mean, creepy much? And what are you going to do with that anyway?"

He regarded her with his head tilted to one side. "Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" he purred.  
And without answering her question he resumed his pacing, continuing in a louder and more businesslike voice, "but if this so disgusts you, I am sure we can find something else. We might have to alter the nature of your wish slightly of course to fit the payment, and then considering that you already owe me…"

"Ok, ok. I get it, no negotiations on that one," she quickly interrupted, "no need to drag the old stories into this one, I'll do it!"

His face broke into a wide grin, baring his sharp and slightly crooked teeth at her.  
"A wise decision. Let's not loose anymore time then! Here, you might need that," and with a flourish of his hand he produced a little golden dagger and offered it to her.

She stared at him as if he had suddenly grown a second head. "What _now_? With _this_?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course now! Or when did you think?"  
"You should be aware by now that I am not usually in the habit of letting people delay their payments, and then we don't want you to increase your debt any more, hmm?" he said silkily.

She walked up to him and jerked the dagger out of his hand petulantly, but then just stood there for a long moment and stared at the jewelled weapon in her hands.

When the minutes dragged by and she didn't make a move, he huffed impatiently: "Well? What is it? Do get on with it, if you please."

She shot him an annoyed glare but then murmured in a rather small voice, "Can't you do it for me?"

He barked out a loud laugh.  
"I don't believe it! Proud and fearless Sarah Williams is actually scared!" he teased gleefully, "but alas not my dear. It has to be given freely and willingly for the bargain to be valid."

She turned to dagger over in her hand, swallowed convulsively and closed her eyes.  
And then, with a greatly exaggerated scream, she rammed the dagger into her palm – and promptly passed out.

When she came to her senses again, she found herself lying on the floor with her head cushioned in his lap.  
As if this alone wouldn't have been disturbing enough, the sight that greeted her eyes made her nearly black out again.

He had grabbed her wrist and extended her arm with one hand and was currently catching the blood that was gushing forth freely from the deep gash in her palm with a crystal he was balancing underneath with the other hand.  
When satisfied with his yield, he let the crystal disappear with a flick of his wrist.

Upon noticing her gawking at him open-mouthed, he bored his eyes into hers and slowly raised her hand towards his face, and then he pressed her palm flush against his mouth.  
A strangled squeak escaped her throat when she felt him lick at the blood on her hand and saw his pale tongue streaked with scarlet dart back into his mouth.

"Urrghh!" was the first very articulate thing she was able to utter, when the ability to move had finally kicked in again, before she yanked her hand out of his grasp.  
She held her still damp palm out in front of her and was just about to give him a piece of her mind, when she noticed that the cut in her skin had vanished.

Rendered speechless for the second time that evening, she just gaped at the appendage somewhat stupidly.  
She felt more than heard his quiet chuckling at her perplexity and before she had had time to recover, he seized her underneath the arms and unceremoniously hauled her to her feet like an overgrown rag doll.

"There you go precious, time to get up! I assume you have a life as an actress to attend to" he said, still deeply amused.  
In that moment the telephone started to blare shrilly and made Sarah nearly jump out of her skin.

She stumbled over to the apparatus and picked up the receiver still in daze, "Hello?"  
"Yes that's right, I did apply for that role, " she answered slowly.  
Her eyes darted back to where he stood just in time to see him licking his lips rather ostentatiously before he gave her a wicked grin and slowly faded into her ancient sofa.

* * *

 _Yes? I am all ear or eyes. Please don't let me hanging there. Thanks very much!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Do not own anything of the Labyrinth_

 _Thanks so much for sticking with me and for your kind reviews!_

* * *

 _"Ladies and Gentlemen! The grand moment of the evening has finally come, so let's not draw out the suspense any longer.  
We give you the brightest shooting star the world has ever seen, youngest Oscar winner in history and the most talented actress of our century – we give you SARAH WILLIAMS_!"

Sarah made her way to the stage under thunderous applause, benignly smiling and waving at the ecstatic audience.  
She had grown fairly accustomed to the frenetic exaltation that broke out as soon as she showed her face to the crowd and took it in her stride –it was, after all, only what she knew was due to her.

Courtesy of the Goblin King, her career had taken off like the literal bat out of hell and her life had become a blur of interviews, elegant gala dinners, talk show appearances and, of course, the grand entrances she made when coming to collect an award she had won.

And so she ascended the stage this evening to receive another award, in a manner of the indulgent queen accepting an offering made by her subjects.  
Speech-making had become second nature to her and the spectators listened enraptured when she gave her tear-jerking thank-you words.  
She properly emphasized the honour she was feeling, let escape a stray tear just in the right moment and touchingly thanked her parents and 'all the people who have ever believed in me' as was expected.

Oddly enough, she never mentioned the Goblin King when listing up the benefactors contributing towards her career.

Acknowledged for his services or not, he held true to his promise regardless.  
The offers for new movie roles kept flooding her assistant and the production company agents practically fell over themselves as they ran in her door.

In short, life was perfect.  
Almost.

It would have been, had it not been for the little snag.  
The little snag that was quickly becoming a bothersome thorn in her side.

Sarah rarely regretted anything, as she deemed it a complete waste of time to worry her head about something that could not be changed anymore anyway.  
However, if she had one regret in her life, then it was probably the rash decision she had taken when she was seventeen.

The natural recklessness of youth at that age had been further fuelled in her case by a superior feeling of omnipotence, bred by the power she wielded through her wishes, and the ominous mixture had led her to make her most fateful wish yet.

As a general rule, we always crave what we cannot have and we believe that happiness lies there, just out of reach, if we could only achieve what we want so dearly.  
But once attained, the object of our desire rapidly starts to feel stale and not so much worth our attention anymore, hence we turn our heads and look out for the next thing to covet.

Unsurprisingly, Sarah was the living proof of this principle.

For over two years Sarah had been satisfied with wishing for all the frivolous worldly possessions she wanted and her friends from the labyrinth were continuing to visit her.  
Slowly though, a nagging feeling of discontent had started to creep over her.

Getting what she wanted near enough instantly had lost some of its appeal and, unconsciously, she had begun to become jealous of her friends, when they told her stories of their own adventures in the Underground.  
Adventures she was forever excluded from sharing, as it seemed.

An idea had started brewing in her mind and was swiftly coming to fruition, when on one particularly boring day she had not been able to get in contact with her friends through the mirror.  
Wonder at what could possibly keep them from answering and longing for company had mingled with a feeling of entitlement and resentment about being left out.

Why should she of all people not be part of whatever they were doing over there?  
And wouldn't it just be the pinnacle of her triumph over the Goblin King, the ultimate demonstration of her power, if she pranced around his kingdom under his very nose?

Faced with such substantial arguments, the decision had not been difficult to make and so she had wished to visit the Labyrinth.

She had known instantly that it had worked, when she had found herself in the middle of a slightly overgrown garden with a bizarre fountain merrily tinkling away next to her and the castle looming in her back.  
Besides, she could make out the further confirmation of her whereabouts striding up to her in the shape of said garden's proprietor.

He had skidded to a stop in front of her, rather closer than she was strictly comfortable with, and hissed in a low voice that betrayed his barely contained rage, "Sarah! What have you done?!"

Sarah had taken an involuntary step backwards – it was far more difficult to deal with the Goblin King when she was not on her own turf, let alone a very infuriated Goblin King.

Somewhat abashed she had admitted in small voice, "I wished to come to the labyrinth. My friends have not answered my call, you see, and so I wanted to make sure that everything was alright."  
It was only half a lie and she had peeked up at him through the fringe of her hair to see his reaction to it.  
His face had still shown his severe displeasure, but at her answer his mouth had twisted itself into a lopsided sneer.

"Ah yes. I am sure your kind-hearted _concern_ will be duly appreciated by the bunch of buffoons you call friends", he had scoffed.  
"But I'm afraid, they are not available at the moment. We had a little, ah, _incident_ involving the bog of eternal stench and every able hand is required to help."

She had known better than to ask what exactly had happened and only winced at the thought of the work her friends were most likely being subjected to.  
"Well in that case, I'll better come some other time then, " she had said, her voice brimming with false cheerfulness.

"Oh, you would like to 'come some other time'?" he had parroted her in a high-pitched voice.  
"Foolish girl! I do not allow people visiting the Labyrinth just for a bit of fun, and you can count yourself lucky if I let you return unscathed this time!"

Keeping a firm lid on the fear his words had instilled in her, she had held her head high and bravely confronted him, "But what if I wish for it? What if I wish to be able to roam the Labyrinth at my leisure?"

"Well, well, well. Aren't we getting greedy?" he had drawled in a low voice, moving again closer so that their faces were barely a foot apart.  
"Not enough anymore for you that I am a slave to your every whim and drain my magic to keep a portal open to your world. No, now you have decided to utterly humiliate me by waltzing into my very own realm, just to show that you can.  
Oh don't try to deny it", he had hissed when he saw that she was about to interrupt,  
"I know exactly, why you are here!"  
He had fixed her with his blazing eyes, silently challenging her to contradict his words, and when she didn't, he had snorted in disdain and turned away.

She had barely dared to make a move, while he was pacing up and down in front of her, entirely convinced that she had finally gone too far and was about to meet her untimely and undoubtedly unpleasant demise.

When he had faced her again, a cruel little smile had been playing around his lips.  
"So Sarah, you wish for a free passage between the worlds?"

Still standing ramrod straight in anticipation of his wrath, she had only nodded mechanically.

He had taken another step towards her and continued in the same dangerously soft voice, "Very well then. But this will be costly, as the strain on my magic is considerable. I will ask this of you…"  
And he had leaned in and whispered his demand into her ear, causing her to shiver when she had felt his hot breath blow over her skin.

He had taken a step back to assess her reaction and then let out an evil cackle at the scandalized expression on her face.  
"Ha! That's what I thought!" he had jeered. "Turn back now before it's too late! Back above you go then girl, and no more plaguing me with your pesky presence."

But if he had thought that he had successfully shaken her off with the ridiculously high price he had asked, then obviously he hadn't reckoned in her stubborn pride.

And to his utter astonishment…  
"Deal!" she had growled, her green eyes glowing with defiance.

* * *

Still glowing in the aftermath of her victory she had started to pay regular visits to the Labyrinth.  
Happily sauntering through its vast expanse she had revelled in its wonders and never missed to call on her friends while she was there.  
They were, after all, probably the only people who truly liked her.

Never one to linger on disagreeable facts, she had shoved all thoughts of the payment she owed as a result of her brash promise the back of her head to be dealt with later.  
And she probably would have succeeded in totally blocking out any memory of the ill-fated deal, had there not been other people reminding her of it.

Hoggle had of course been aware for a long time that Sarah was regularly in contact with the Goblin King, and that he was granting her wishes in return for a certain reward, but even he didn't know the exact extent her wish-making had escalated too.  
Nevertheless, he never tired of giving her dire warnings and tried to convince her to quit the, what he deemed, unsavoury company.

But when Sarah had knocked on his door for the very first time, he had been truly shocked. As a citizen of the Underground he was well aware of the strict rules and the magic involved concerning the passage of mortals to his realm.  
And when Sarah had showed up on his doorstep, unannounced and unattended by the Goblin King, he had been immediately gripped by a strong feeling of foreboding.

He had let her prattle about the wonders she had encountered on her way and patiently waited for an opening to bring on the uncomfortable topic.  
They had been sitting over a cosy cup of tea on his roughly-hewn wooden table, when he finally had had the opportunity to breach the subject.

"Erm Sarah, how exactly does it come that you can just visit the Labyrinth?" he had asked cautiously.

"Easy", she had replied offhandedly, "I wished to come to the Labyrinth and the Goblin King was gracious enough to allow it."

Not entirely satisfied with her answer, he had decided to probe further, "But surely His Majesty would have asked for quite a high price in return for this favour, as the magic involved in bringing mortals to the Underground is no small thing?"

"Nah, it wasn't that bad actually. A mere trifle, nothing I could not handle," she had brushed him off.

"I don't like it all the same. I told you time and time again not to trust that rat. He is a tricky bastard that one, and if you continue to accept his offers, I am sure that it will end badly one day, you just mark my words!" he had insisted, concern for her clearly written on his face.

"Ah don't worry Hoggle, I've got it under control. I know how to handle him and then why should I not take advantage of the boons he can grant? I would be stupid not to and once you get to know him a bit better, it's actually fairly easy to see through his game."

And so she had continued her trips to the Labyrinth.  
Sporadically, she would bump into the king on one of her strolls and, surprisingly, she had even found him to be quiet an agreeable conversation partner on these occasions.

But even if he did not openly remind her of their pact, the mere trifle of the debt she owed him hung between them ever since that fateful day.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Reviews as usual appreciated very much :)

 **FelineGrace:** I could not find a way to contact you, so I will answer you this way.  
Thanks for your review and the interesting thoughts, you are certainly on the right track by thinking, that having everything that we want will make us weak and that the Goblin King is skillfully exploiting that weakness. Very clever!  
It has actually never entered my head that the story could have that kind of potential you mentioned (Sarah redeeming herself), but it is a very intriguing idea. Unfortunately I think the character of Sarah in this story is beyond salvation and any of our help ;)


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Do not own anything from the Labyrinth_

* * *

 _Authors note:_

 _Thank you all so much for sticking with me so far and for all your nice reviews!  
_  
 _Sorry for the cliffhanger last time and the slight delay in posting the next chapter, but the flue conquers us all._

A brief remark to your reviews: I am very aware that the character of Sarah in this story is very one-sided and unrealistic. My only excuse is that this bizarre little tale is supposed to be a parody and therefore not to be taken all too seriously. I can assure you that this it not really how I view the character of Sarah (come on, would I think so badly of her?).

 _So please forgive me if the story continues as absurd and silly as it was so far, hope you enjoy it all the same :)_

* * *

Yes, the mere trifle of the promise, she had so brazenly made several years back, was still unfulfilled to that day, and it was proving to become an ever more cumbersome stone around her neck.

He had rather generously allowed her to choose the time and place when to comply with her side of the bargain, while granting her free roam in the Underground for all these years.  
He had even agreed to fulfil other wishes despite the fact that she was in debt so to speak, but he had been quite adamant that she would pay for all the subsequent wishes immediately.

Secretly relieved that he had not insisted on her effectuating her side of the deal that very day, she had gladly postponed the deed to the day the cows come home.  
Even though she knew deep down that he would not let her weasel her way out of her payment, she had initially formed some vague plans that revolved around letting things lie dormant just long enough, so that he would eventually forget his demand – or not be interested in it any longer.  
She had not tried to cheat her way out of the contract – the memory of the garlic debacle was after all still painfully present in her mind – and in the beginning it had not been hard to respect the terms of their barter without giving him his compensation.

But the longer the time went on, the harder it became.

Shrewd bastard he was, he had probably known all the while what he was doing, she thought to herself sourly while taking another sip of her wine.  
He must have guessed that she would try to delay her side of their agreement as long as possible, but would be restricted from doing so indefinitely because time itself would work against her.

She was currently sitting all alone on the sofa in her tastefully decorated Manhattan penthouse and was tucking into a bottle of wine with very little restraint, trying to drown the unpleasant thoughts that were chasing each other through her head.

The magnificent place had been attained and paid for with the very first Oscar she had won, a loss she was still mourning even though he had supplied her with a near indistinguishable replica of it.

And a fat lot of good had all the wishes done to her now, she thought bitterly, when she could not really enjoy her live due to a stupid pledge she had made when she was seventeen.  
Damn it, she didn't even have the time any more to visit the Labyrinth, and in hindsight the price he had asked for this very ability did seem fairly out of proportion.

But too late now, and tonight Sarah Williams was hit with the full force of her unwise declaration as the memories of today's events replayed themselves in her mind and she was filled yet again with a strong sense of humiliation and rage.

Walking back from the set, she had passed the changing room of the other female actors (she had her own private one of course).  
The door had been slightly ajar and she would not have given it a second thought if she hadn't happened to hear her name.  
Mildly curious, she had slowed down to listen into the conversation going on inside.

"Yes that's right, that's what I've heard too. Apparently Gary has asked her out and she turned him right down" one of the voices had said.

The second voice must have had answered something that was too low to hear, because after a little pause the first one had boomed out again, "Yes absolutely! Pretty distraught he was from what I've heard, poor chap. Gladys even reckons that she saw him crying afterwards. Tried to play nonchalant of course as soon as she approached, but she swears that there had been tears in his eyes!"

A sympathetic crooning could be heard from the two women inside before the first voice had spoken again in a spiteful tone, "But if you ask me, he is better off without her and good riddance. Not worth shedding one tear for that one if she can't even appreciate a handsome and nice guy like Gary!"

The second voice could be heard clearly for the first time, "Yes quite, you are absolutely right there. Then again that is not the first time this has happened, is it?" it had continued in a lower more conspiratorial tone, so Sarah had had to inch closer to the door in order to still be able to hear.  
"Remember the month before, the story with that assistant director? A man as good as gold and Sarah sidelines him after their very first date. He just left after that, didn't he? Probably couldn't bear to work with that ice cold bitch anymore."

"Too right, that she is. Always so full of herself and barely a civil word to spare for any of us. Probably thinks that nobody is quiet good enough for _her_ , _"_ number one had snorted in obvious disdain.  
"Ha! She may well think that, but honestly she isn't _that_ pretty and the guys are clearly only after her because of her money" she had sneered gleefully. "And once beauty is gone, the roles for films will become far and few between and with them the flock of faithful admirers. We will see then who laughs in the end, when our haughty princess ends up old and all alone!"

The cruel sniggering that had followed this speech had sent a shiver of hot boiling anger down Sarah's spine and she had had to restrain herself not to burst into the dressing room and wring the necks of the two silly twits inside.  
She had taken a deep calming breath through her nose and nearly missed it when number two had picked up the conversation again.

"But do you know, I _have_ wondered before what it is with her. I have never seen her with a guy before, and to my knowledge every man who has made a pass at her has been snubbed. Maybe she is a lesbian?" she had asked, her voice trembling with excitement in anticipation of a yet unrevealed scandal.

"Nah, don't think so" number one had dismissed the other woman's suspicion. "The press would have unearthed something like that ages ago and I have never seen her trying to get off with a woman either. Quite the contrary really, don't know any other girl who is so bitchy with her female colleagues!"

"Hmm, guess you have a point there", number two had conceded thoughtfully after a moment, "still, there is something funny about the Williams girl and I would love to know what it is!"

"Oh, I have a good idea what's wrong with her" number one had hissed maliciously "I bet she is one of those women who are just cold, not responsive you know. Probably she is just a straitlaced, frigid cow who thinks far too much of herself!" she had gloated.

Number two had snickered deviously and exclaimed all hyper, "but that's it! Why have I never thought about that, Sarah Williams is a frigid touch-me-not!"

By that time Sarah had heard quite enough and briskly made her way to her own changing room, leaving the two gossips cooking their preposterous theories by themselves.

So that's what her work colleagues thought of her. Sarah was absolutely livid.

The insolence! The sheer incredible cheek! How dare they laugh about her behind her back and shamelessly befoul her name with their infamous slander!  
Frigid? _Her?!_  
It was an unheard of and in its magnitude incomparable insult to her beauty and attraction, and Sarah was not prepared to let it go by unpunished.

Intricate plans for revenge were already fermenting in her brain and a gleeful smile spread across her face when she imagined all the ways in which she would make the two gormless geese pay for their presumption.

When her initial fury had somewhat subsided though, she had to grudgingly admit to herself that there was a certain truth to their vile aspersions. And the fact that at least some accusations had hit home, smarted even more and put her into a very foul mood indeed.  
That had been the moment when the first bottle of wine had appeared on the table.

Well into the second bottle by now, even Sarah could no longer deny that she did indeed not have any romantic life worth mentioning.  
And it was, of course, entirely the Goblin King's fault.

How on earth was she supposed to explain to her numerous suitors that she had pledged her virginity to a mythical fairy king out of a children's book in exchange for extended visits to fairy land?!

She briefly amused herself with imagining the possible reactions to such a statement.  
But it would not do for the whole film world to think her a complete nutter and so she had had to resort to sordid evasion techniques and, in some cases, pure arrogance to deter the never-ending stream of interested men.  
She had purposefully evaded all the pitfalls and kept to her side of the bargain impeccably, with the result that people now thought her a conceited, frigid cow.  
It was so unfair.

But not much longer she vowed to herself.

Today's mortifying events and the acute carnal need that was currently rampaging through her body, its normally tight bonds considerably loosened by the liberal amounts of wine she had consumed, had gradually steeled her resolve – she would remedy that ridiculous situation tonight.  
Hell, earlier on she had been quite prepared to ambush and jump the pizza delivery boy, if there had been a realistic chance to get away with it.  
But as it stood the only other option was…  
"Jareth!" she slurred, swaying on the spot with her wine glass still in hand.

"Sarah?" came the laconic reply from behind her.

Sarah turned around rather abruptly and nearly lost her equilibrium in her inebriated state.  
The Goblin King assessed her with an amused grin on his face.  
"You had a few it seems. Now, where does the shoe pinch then?" he asked, correctly assuming that she had not just summoned him for the benefit of a pleasant chat.

Now he was standing right in front of her in all his leather clad glory, Sarah's earlier determination evaporated quickly and she didn't really know how to start explaining to him the reason behind her summons. Not wanting to relay the embarrassing circumstances that had led to her resolve, she groped about for a good introduction into the subject.  
An impatient sigh reminded her that she had been mutely gawking at him for a full minute, and feeling pressed to finally say something, her drink befuddled mind provided her with the only thing she could think of at the moment.  
"Well you see, it's the pizza delivery boy."

"Pardon?" Whatever he had expected, it was certainly not this and his features mirrored his confusion.

"No, wait. That didn't come out right. It's not really the pizza boy, it's more the bargain we have made and the pizza boy just happened to remind me… Anyways, I have called you to fulfil my promise, " she finished the rambling explanation and glanced up at him expectantly, as if the matter had been sufficiently illuminated.

"You know, you do not make much sense. How about you summon me again when you're coherent and sober? As it happens, I do not have the time to listen to drunken gibberish", he sneered at her coldly.

His patronizing remark was the last straw it needed on a day like this and she immediately fired up.  
"God damn it Jareth, will you listen! I had just about enough ridicule for one day and I am sick of a life as a quasi-nun just because of that stupid bargain we made ages ago. I have called you here to pay my dues, so will you shut up and fuck me already so we can get this business over with?!"

Her outburst was greeted with one of the most uncomfortable and loudest silences she had ever experienced, and had she been in the mood for gloating, she would probably have relished the fact that it was one of the few times that the Goblin King was speechless.

His eyes had widened in astonishment and he just gaped at her for a long moment, obviously completely floored by her impertinent and lewd tirade. Much more at home in the role of the irresistible seducer, the Goblin King was not accustomed to such bold, and frankly unromantic, propositions and her brazen demand made him feel as if she had stolen his lines.

When the silence stretched into minutes and he did not react in any way, Sarah began to fidget and decided to prompt him, a tad of insecurity creeping into her voice, "So, er, shall we get started then?"

His eyebrows travelled even further up on his forehead and he murmured distractedly "What? Well yes, I suppose so."

But if Sarah had expected him to make the first move, she was sorely disappointed - he just stood riveted to the spot as if unsure how to proceed.  
With an exasperated sigh she decided to take matters into her own hands.  
Rolling her eyes she strode up to him, grabbed the front of his shirt, yanked him towards her and firmly pressed her lips on his mouth.

Considering his shell-shocked state, it did not take him long to respond and with a guttural growl he grasped her by the shoulders and pinned her against the bookshelf standing next to him, causing several books to topple over and fall to the floor in his haste.

* * *

Somewhat later, Sarah found herself lying on the living room carpet with her head bedded on Jareth's chest.  
She lazily took in her surroundings and let her eyes travel over the peculiar assortment of leather items, tights, skirts and blouses that littered the floor in harmony with the jumbled mess of books and pillows that accompanied them.  
Her eyes swept further to the upset bottle of red wine that was precariously angled over her couch table and she watched mesmerized as the steady drip of red drops from its opening swelled the already considerable stain on the carpet.  
It was easily the most peaceful moment they had ever shared together - which probably had a lot to do with the fact that neither of them was speaking.

But the serene atmosphere was about to come to an end.  
Jareth startled her out of her silent musings by stretching and announcing that it was time for him to leave. He gently shoved her off his chest and got to his feet, seemingly completely unperturbed by the scandalized expression on her face.

"What? You just scarper like that, after _this?_ "

"Well you see, your summons happened to come in the middle of an urgent meeting and not knowing what you had in store for me today, I excused myself with the promise to be back shortly", he explained while nonchalantly adjusting his gloves, that had miraculously manifested themselves on his body together with the rest of his clothing.  
"My advisors are quite used to waiting I assure you, but considering the _length_ of time you deterred me so far, I'm afraid it's starting to get rude, " he purred with a cheeky leer.

"Don't flatter yourself, " she growled and jumped to her feet, desperately trying to retain at least some dignity with her bra shoved up against her throat and her knickers still ridiculously trailing around one of her ankles.  
"Right, sod off then!" And in one fluid movement she yanked the pair of knickers from her foot and chucked them right at his head.

He caught them before they squarely hit him in the face, sticky side up, and chortled. "Why thank you precious. I do appreciate the token of your affection."  
And with one last wave of the offending undergarment he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Do not own anything from the Labyrinth

* * *

 ** _Hey guys, thank you again very much for your lovely reviews!  
And sorry for the long delay, I had a somewhat tough time lately.  
_**  
 ** _I realized that the majority of you seemed to be quite shocked about Sarah not taking any precautions before getting it on with the Goblin King. Well, I have to admit I hadn't thought about that myself... (*blush*)_**  
 ** _But thanks for the idea! As you will see, I picked up your concerns and let her suffer just a little bit for her stupidity, even though she will not end up with a baby or glittery herpes (thanks for the suggestion Kellyn 1604, it had me literally rolling on the floor!)_**

* * *

The next morning Sarah woke up to make the acquaintance of the mother of all hangovers.  
She was nursing a fierce, pounding headache and her stomach churned with the desperate efforts to digest the stale remnants of red wine. To top it all off, she also had a viciously itchy rash on her back.  
Bloody carpet.

When she finally felt brave enough to open her eyes, her suffering just increased tenfold in magnitude.  
Greenish blots swam in the periphery of her vision and the walls tilted in and out of focus, giving her the unpleasant impression that they were about to fall in at any moment.

As if trying to add to the cornucopia of misery, the memories of last night's events started to crowd her sore head and she let out a pained groan at the parade of images her helpful brain felt compelled to supply her with.  
She hid her head underneath the pillow in a vain attempt to block out the humiliating pictures and the light that seemed to stab her in the eyes like a blunt knife.

Curse her foolishness for calling on the Goblin King when pissed like a rat!

And naturally, the scoundrel he was, he had taken advantage of her less than accountable state immediately to satiate his own nefarious needs.  
Of course, if she was being honest with herself (something she tended to avoid if it did not coincide with the respective mood she happened to be in), she had to admit that she had, in fact, practically thrown herself at him and that he had not only been quenching his own desires.

But before she could dwell longer on the more gratifying aspects of yesterday's occurrences, her stomach gave a particular nasty lurch that forced her to sprint to the toilet.

Crouching down next to the porcelain bowl and wiping the snot from her face in a very undignified manner, she was suddenly hit with a thought so horrendous that it temporarily knocked the breath out of her.  
She had not taken any precautions whatsoever! And what if…?

No. No way!  
If he had managed to knock her up with a goblin spawn from hell, she would personally flay his skinny arse alive and pluck every single hair from his fluffy head!

She shuddered at the mental image of her work colleagues sniggering behind her back as she waddled across the set with a belly as big as a beer barrel.

Oh, and wouldn't they just have a field day with this!

The proud and prim Sarah Williams having a bun in the oven and no father, no glamorous wedding or baby bedroom reportage for the gossip magazines in sight.  
One would nearly have to come to the conclusion that it had been an accident and the father was shirking his responsibilities, poor girl!  
Regrettable really, but sadly things like that were common enough and then shouldn't the silly girl know how to take precautions to prevent…?  
It would be the end of her career and she was not going to let that happen!

The answer to her problem came to her in one glorious moment of epiphanic realization.

It was easy really, all she had to do in case disaster decided to strike was wishing the bawling brat away to its creator.  
An evil grin spread across her face.  
And he would have to keep it. No tedious battles for custody, no squabbling over visiting hours, no unwanted responsibility.  
Ha! The joke would be on him then and she only would have to take an extended vacation on the Bahamas to hide the treacherous evidence of her calamity until it was over.

Even with this elegant solution at hand, she obviously very much preferred that she would not have to resort to it in the first place.  
And so the next four weeks were spent on her part in an anxious flurry while the little white plastic sticks, she had ordered over the internet to be sent to an anonymous post box, accumulated in her trash. After all, one couldn't be too careful with the press trying to sniff out every detail of her private life in search of a minor scandal they could butcher into a sensational story.

Luckily for Sarah, it transpired that the fates were on her side again, even without the benefit of the Goblin King's instant-wish-fulfilment-machinery.  
And so she skipped back to her old life with a new spring to her step, very much determined to catch up on all the experiences she had been forced to miss out on.

Not one to deny herself any agreeable pastimes, she lost no time and began to date a few of the numerous applicants for the vacant post of boyfriend.  
Unfortunately, things were not going as smoothly as expected.

The first time it happened was when things started to get mildly serious with a fellow actor.  
He had been accompanying her to her door after a perfect dinner date and she had just been about to invite him in for a "coffee", when he had suddenly got a phone call. A minute later he had informed her with a tragedy-stricken expression that his mother had been admitted to hospital and that he had to leave immediately.  
Now, not even Sarah Williams could dispute the validity of this excuse, and so she had grudgingly accepted his apology – and crossed him from her list all the same.

The second time had irked her considerably more.  
Date number two had made it to the confines of her apartment, but the natural course of events were stopped brutally when he had suddenly felt compelled to confess to her that he was, in truth, gay.  
A shame if there ever was one!  
She had actually taken a real liking to the guy and, uncharacteristically for herself considering the insult to her person, she even decided to stay friends with him.

The third in the row, on the other hand, had been a total dud from the beginning.  
An hour into the date, he was already going on her nerves with his whiny complaints about anyone and everything and she was not sure anymore why she had bothered to go out with him in the first place.  
Privately thinking to herself that there was no chance in hell that she would repeat the experience, she had attempted to at least save the otherwise wasted evening and started to kiss him passionately - at any rate this would shut him up and if she was lucky, she might even get some decent sex out of the ordeal before she sent him on his way.  
She couldn't have been more wrong with her assumptions.  
As soon as she had made her intentions clear, he had broken down completely and started to sob uncontrollably on her shoulder.  
In a tearful voice he had admitted that he was already married and that he and his wife were currently going through rough times.  
If she had let him, he probably would have gone on and told her all about the sordid details of his marriage and relieved his guilt-ridden conscience right there on her doorstep.  
As it was, a few well-chosen words solved the problem and had him running off with his tail between his legs.  
She was, after all, a natural when it came to cruelty.

Number four had, at first, taken off like a rocket – a loaded glance, a flirty smile and off they went. All through their date, the chemistry had been practically palpable and Sarah could not get home fast enough.  
Alas, what had started promising enough, was soon doomed to find an early end.  
So early, in fact, that it had ended before it had even started.  
Concretely, they had hardly made it over the doorstep of her bedroom when he had already shot his bolt.  
To say that the situation was awkward would be a gross understatement.  
But to give him credit, he had at least had the decency to excuse himself soon after, as not to unnecessarily prolong the embarrassing silence that arose while they were both desperately trying to stare anywhere but in each other's eyes.  
Pity indeed.

Applicant number five had been so completely and utterly boring that, after yawning her way through an hour of listening to his droning monologue, she had finally given in to the irresistible urge to fall asleep.  
She would have genuinely relished his embarrassment - if she hadn't been completely mortified herself about dropping her head face first into her plate while nodding off.

When it came to number six, it was best to say nothing at all.  
She desperately tried to push _that_ particular memory from her mind.  
In fact, just thinking about him and the exotic tastes and desires he had confronted her with during their very first date, gave her the creeps all over again and made her want to pour bleach into her brain to erase the pictures he had conjured.

So far, Sarah had chalked up the failures to simple bad luck, but when the date with number seven decided to take a very bizarre turn indeed, she slowly started to get suspicious.

Initially, everything had seemed to be too perfect to be true - the guy was unusually good-looking, smart, witty and an interesting conversation partner.  
She had been truly enjoying herself and felt hopeful that her streak of misfortune might finally be over when, all of a sudden, she was treated to a far-fetched adventurous tale that culminated in him relaying to her the details of his abduction by aliens.  
After finishing his ludicrous story, perspiration had started to break out on his forehead and he had surveyed the room with shifty eyes, as if expecting some of the other patrons to swoop down and arrest them if he spoke to loudly.  
Disgusted, she had left him to his paranoid conspiracy theories, his dire warnings of what would happen to her if she did not join the "right side" immediately still ringing in her ears.

By the time she arrived home, foot-sore and tired since she had been forced to walk the whole way, she had a good idea of who exactly was responsible for the absurd series of bungled dates.  
Apoplectic with rage, she tossed her purse down on the table and took a deep breath through her nose before biting out in a deadly quiet and clipped voice, "Jareth, get yourself here _instantly_!"

The assumed culprit had obviously been in bed already and was therefore not amused by the untimely disturbance.  
Lazily adjusting a silk dressing gown over what looked like some more expensive silk nightwear, he glared at her with a disgruntled expression.  
"What now? And couldn't that have waited until morning?"

She immediately bore down on him like an infuriated harpy. "Oh, don't you dare what-now-me Mister! You know very well, why I have called you!"

The politely puzzled look he gave her suggested that he didn't.

Huffing with exasperation, she pointed an accusatory finger at his chest. "Care to enlighten me, why you have decided to fuck up every single date I had so far beyond all recognition?!"

His eyes widened in surprise. Being what he was, one could hardly call the expression innocent, but apparently he really had no idea what she was talking about.  
"Me? Interfering with your dates? Surely not!"  
The look of wide-eyed innocence was replaced by a mischievous smirk. "Oh dear, things not going well in the dating department then, I take it?" he gloated.

"Indeed not," she answered curtly. "And don't pretend that you haven't got anything to do with it. I don't know why I haven't realized that earlier, but you and your magic must have a hand in this, how else could all my dates be doomed to such bizarre outcomes?"

Instead of answering her, he simply conjured a crystal and started to look at the evidence himself.  
After quickly peeking at the images, Sarah averted her gaze and felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She had no particular desire to relieve the humiliating events herself – let alone have him knowing about them.

He had snickered a fair few times during the fast-forward replay of the dating disasters and by the end of it, he was laughing out loud.  
"But you have to give to the last one" he tittered, nearly incoherent between bouts of laughter, "he _was_ really good-looking!"

"Glad, I amuse you, " she griped, tapping her foot and waiting for him to gain control again over his maniacal laughter.

"Ah, this is priceless", he chuckled, wiping away what she suspected were tears of mirth.  
He sobered up a bit upon noticing her standing with her arms akimbo and a well-what-now-and-don't-give-me-any-crap expression on her face.  
"I do think you are right though, this must have something to do with the countless bargains we have made with each other. And it is not unheard of that physical relations with a fae can have unforeseen consequences, but I have never heard about something quite so bizarre before."

"Excuse me?!", she squealed. "'Physical relations with a fae', do you mean to tell me that the two of us getting it on has the nice after-effect of messing up my dates?! And you knew about that?!"

He winced at the eardrum-splitting shrillness of her voice.  
"Well, not exactly. To me it looks more like the various magical contracts that bind us together seem to prevent you from approaching any other males", he clarified matter-of-factly and shrugged, as if wanting to indicate that this was nothing to worry about.  
"Never forget, precious, that you dabble in something you understand very little of. Undesired consequences are to be expected when one gets so deeply mired in magic."  
He grinned toothily at that, as if enjoying his own private joke.

"Ha, ha," she laughed without humour. "This just keeps getting better all the time! So you're saying, basically, that I am condemned to celibacy from now on?"

"Did I say that?" he asked delicately, nestling with the sleeve of his dressing gown.

Her brain took a full minute to process what he had just intimated but when it did, she appraised him with a new and slightly predatory gleam in her eyes.  
"Oh. _That_ idea hadn't actually occurred to me before."

He rolled his eyes, clearly offended by her offhand statement.  
"Well, then I guess I should count myself lucky that it finally did", he quipped sourly.  
"And if you would excuse me now, I was actually sleeping when you decided to schedule this impromptu meeting for berating me for something which is much more your fault than mine."

Completely ignoring his last comment, she grabbed his sleeve before he could vanish.  
"What… ? Wait! You can't just go now without doing anything about this situation!"

"Oh, can't I?" he taunted her acidly but moved closer all the same, propping himself up with one hand on the wall behind her.  
"And what, pray tell, would you have me do about it then, hmm?" he purred.

"I think, you know very well what that would be."  
She had intended to sound cutting but it came out breathless and suggestive instead.

He leaned in further, but she stopped him with a hand against his chest.  
"Oh no, not so fast. I do actually learn from my mistakes, you know? Now, what will that cost me if you agree to, ahem, help me out of my predicament?"

He leered at her. "Oh don't worry precious, this one's on the house."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Do not own anything from the Labyrinth

* * *

Well, she had easily forgiven herself for this one slip since she had been close to spontaneously combusting with all the pent-up sexual frustration.

But then it had happened again.  
And again.  
And again.  
And by now, she could no longer deny the uncomfortable truth that was staring her in the face – she was having a veritable affair with the freaking Goblin King, of all people!

And that was precisely part of the problem - he was not even a person, as such!  
Plus she came to realize all too soon that trouble was never far off when one decided to have a hookup with a fairy king.

Thrilled to finally be able to present some sort "date" (she winced internally at the inappropriate description) to the public and shut-up the vile gossiping mouths of her colleagues, she had initially harboured some plans about introducing him to her family and the society at large as her boyfriend - he was, after all, reasonably easy on the eyes and one certainly needn't be ashamed to appear in public with him.  
But this little pet project had run headfirst into unanticipated complications and she had been forced to bury it rather quickly.

The infeasibility of her scheme had started to dawn on her when she suggested that they went somewhere else rather than her own apartment for a change.  
Pleasantly surprised that he had agreed to her plan, she had carefully prepared herself for what should have been their first outing together and had even gone as far as to buy him an Armani suit for the occasion.  
She had felt incredibly thoughtful and considerate for anticipating his probable lack of human clothing, but when she had proudly presented him with the exquisite garment, she had been met with unexpected and adamant resistance.

It transpired the Goblin King did _not_ rejoice over having outfits chosen for him, however well-meant the gesture might be.  
 _"What? This is positively insulting!"  
"And I don't care who this guy Armani is, I'd rather be dead than be seen in this unflattering human attire."  
_And she hadn't fared much better when she had reasonably tried to persuade him to at least change his hair and leave off the make-up.  
 _"Make-up? You dare? Unlike you, I do not need make-up to enhance my natural beauty! And do you want to insinuate that there is something wrong with my hair?"_

The heated ten-minute argument that had followed this exchange had eventually resulted in an even more heated two-hour reconciliatory make-out session _("I would rather go naked than wearing anything like that!" "Fine! Why don't you then?!" "You know, I just might…"),_ and by the end of it they had agreed to keep their little encounters restricted to the boundaries of her apartment.

It was probably all for the better, if she thought about it in-depth.  
Having casual sex with the Goblin King was one thing, but dealing with his otherness while around other people would require too much quick-thinking and blatant lying in the long term.

She briefly amused herself with imagining the first family dinner:

 _"Dad, may I introduce Jareth the Goblin King to you?  
He reins over an obscure underground realm of deranged goblins and steals babies as a hobby.  
Yep, that's the one. You obviously remember how I loved that book when I was a teenager.  
In fact, the book was the very reason we have met in the first place, after all I wouldn't have managed to wish Toby away if it hadn't been for that book.  
Oops! Haven't mentioned that to you before, have I? Well never mind, I won him back, so no harm done.  
But while I am already spilling the beans, I might as well tell you how I became so successful in my life.  
You see, Jareth here has been granting me wishes ever since the day I wished Toby to the goblins in exchange for little favours.  
What?! Good gracious, no! What are you thinking? It is not like that!  
Well, technically, I did sort of trade my virginity… but that's a different story.  
Getting married? Aw dad, it's not really like that. To be honest, we do not even know each other that well, and then we don't see each other that often.  
Mostly, we just meet up once in a while and have a good shag, or two, before he poofs back to fairy-goblin-land again._

 _Dad? Dad, you ok? Do you want me to call an ambulance…?"_

A hysterical giggle escaped her when she thought about the pandemonium that would surely ensue from such a revelation.  
But no, not likely to happen any time soon and she had therefore resigned herself to the fact that the Goblin King was not an ideal escort to show off with on the red carpet.

It hadn't taken her all too long to find a suitable solution for the dilemma though, and it came in the person of one Bradley Higgs, alias candidate number two.  
The two of them had stayed in contact after the dating fiasco and had over time discovered that they shared the same predicament, namely the lack of a presentable partner in the face of the public.  
The decision to team up had been made swiftly and the resulting sham relationship worked satisfactorily for both sides – Sarah was finally able to parade a perfect boyfriend in front of family and friends and Brad, in turn, used her as a convenient camouflage to hide his appetite for barely legal teenage boys from the public.

It had been an immediate success.  
People were ecstatic and the press gushed with the latest news about everyone's favourite star-crossed lovers.  
Wherever they went, the crowd oh-ed and aah-ed when they beheld the handsome couple and the gossip magazine outdid each other with (mostly fabricated) reportages about their private life.

Needless to say, her parents had instantly taken to Brad too and had welcomed him into the family like a long lost son.  
Sarah even had the grace to feel something akin to shame when she thought about how jovially her father had chatted with him, truly glad to see such a 'worthy lad' at the side of his daughter, and how her stepmother had fussed over the faux son-in-law, urging him to have second and third helpings at the family table.

Ah yes, they were the ideal poster couple indeed.  
And being both actors, they managed to pull off the charade so convincingly that Sarah sometimes almost believed it herself. Almost.

While their arrangement had worked out better than she had expected in many ways, it had its shortcomings and tonight Sarah felt them rather keenly.  
It was the evening of her twenty-eighth birthday and she was sitting all alone in her apartment, a bottle of wine being yet again her sole company.

Naturally, she had celebrated her birthday in style.  
Her work colleagues had "surprised" her with the standard lavish lunchtime party earlier in the day, and after that she had deigned to spare some time to see her family with Brad in tow.  
However, not wanting to give the impression that she had nothing more exciting to do on her birthday than sitting around with her family, she had shortly apologised herself again, leaving them with the assumption that she and Brad were off to a glamorous party given in her honour.

Now, she had obviously no intention whatsoever to spend the rest of her birthday with her bogus boyfriend - or lead him to believe that she was in need of his company for that matter - and so she had sent him on his way with the paltry excuse that she had a romantic evening planned with her "real boyfriend".

Brad was, of course, aware of the ominous "boyfriend" who could not be presented to the decent society for some unknown reason, and he had therefore readily believed her story.  
Not that he had ever met the man in question or knew anything specific about him.  
Sarah had been very careful to give only vague and ambiguous explanations, hinting that he was a powerful and dangerous personality whose identity could not be revealed.  
As a result, Brad was now working under the erroneous impression that Sarah was dating some kind of dodgy mafia boss, but that was fine with her since it deterred him from asking too many nosy questions.

So far so good, but unfortunately Sarah had by no means made any plans to meet "the mafia boss" and had consequently ended up spending the evening alone.  
Pride had not permitted asking the Goblin King to keep her company since it would have been beyond humiliating to admit to him that she was out of other options.  
It was enough that she had to endure his snide remarks and derisive taunts about the masquerade she was putting on stage with her phony lover without having to confess that the cleverly engineered fraud had its downsides.  
Surprisingly, the Goblin King had not objected to the arrangement and there had not been any magical repercussions either, but the condescending little smile he had given her upon hearing the news had sufficiently expressed his contempt for her ever-increasing greed for publicity.

Sarah sighed deeply. Downsides indeed.  
The lack of a real caring partner was one thing, but the uncomfortable decisions looming ahead as a result of their little stunt were starting to seriously worry her.  
The press had long since heralded the start of the wedding countdown and hardly a day passed without one paper or the other speculating about the possible wedding date and venue.

While she had no qualms to go through with a wedding just for appearances sake, the problems would start after that. It was practically guaranteed that the wedding countdown would then just give way to the baby countdown - or in other words out of the frying pan straight into the fire.  
Now, Sarah would gladly sell her own grandmother if it helped her career, but when it came to having children just to keep up the pretence of a perfect marriage she had to draw the line.

So, she was now faced with the difficult choice between orchestrating a dramatic separation from her boyfriend to avoid the pitfall of the kids issue and severing ties with the Goblin King in order to find the true love of her life for real.  
Neither option sounded particularly palatable.  
While the first one would just postpone the problem to later, the latter would most likely prove difficult and might have unforeseen consequences for her career.  
Nevertheless, option two started to sound more appealing by the minute as Sarah felt increasingly discontent and sorry for herself for being forced to spend her birthday all alone.

She heaved another deep sigh and patted the wine bottle affectionately.  
"You my fine fellow are probably the only true and constant friend I have."

"And there was I thinking that you would consider me a close friend by now. You wound me Sarah."  
The Goblin King stepped into the light of the living room, his face screwed up in mock hurt and one hand dramatically clutching his heart to illustrate the deadly blow she had dealt him.

Sarah snapped out of her wallowing immediately.  
"Jareth? What are you doing here? I haven't called you, I believe."  
She hadn't, had she? Or maybe she had forgotten that they had arranged to meet?

"No, indeed you haven't. I am here by own accord", he said quietly.

Desperately trying to hide the fact that she had not one minute ago indulged in a serious bout of self-pity, she plastered a huge smile on her face.  
"Jolly good. Actually, your timing is impeccable. The other guests have just left and I was about to enjoy a glass of wine. Want one too?"

She was already half out of her seat and on the way to the kitchen when the Goblin King stopped her.  
"No Sarah. There will be no need. We have important matters to discuss."

Confused by the unusual graveness of his tone, Sarah looked up and noticed his appearance for the first time.  
Quite in contrast to his customary flamboyant style, he had donned a tough-looking sort of armour, entirely made of black leather, and even a cloak. The whole get-up created a distinctly formal impression and reminded her strongly of the very first time she had met him in her parent's bedroom.  
Combined with the uncommonly stern expression on his face, he looked positively forbidding.

She tried to lighten the mood. "So what's it with the evil child-snatching outfit then?"

He ignored her taunt and stalked closer, raising his chin arrogantly.  
"As you surely realize, it is the evening of your twenty-eighth birthday."

Sarah just stared at him nonplussed. "Yeah. So what?"

A satisfied little smirk played around his lips and he announced regally, "I have come here tonight to finally reap the fruit of my hard labour. It's time for you to pay your dues Sarah."

* * *

 **Thanks again for all your reviews for the last chapter!**

 **Ok, now I am the first one to admit that this chapter is a bit of a space filler with not much happening, solely written for the purpose of creating this totally unnecessary cliffhanger. Sorry, but I couldn't resist :)**  
 **Everything will be revealed in the next chapter though, promised!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do not own the Labyrinth

* * *

 **Hey guys, sorry for the long delay and thanks as usual for your great reviews!  
I know I promised you a speedy update after the cruel cliffhanger from last time, but alas life got in the way.**  
 **But well here it is finally - the big finale, the long awaited revelation of Jareth's plans. I hope it lives up to your expectations, please let me know what you think.  
**  
 **It ended up being quite a long chapter and there will be only a short epilogue after that. I know I promised you to post that at the same time, but as it's already beyond late, I felt that I better go ahead with what I have and make sure the epilogue follows soon after.**

* * *

"Hehehe. Very funny Jareth!"

"Now Halloween was last month tough and April fool's day is not for another five months, so you can cut the crap now.  
Besides, I am rather tired and not in the mood for some kinky hanky-panky right now, so if you don't mind, change into something a bit more reasonable, I don't want to break off all my fingernails trying to peel you out of this ridiculous outfit."  
She waved a negligent hand into his direction and took another sip of her wine.

When he didn't answer, she looked up from her glass and noticed him standing in the exact same position with his arms crossed over his chest.  
He hadn't done as she asked and the crease that had formed between his eyebrows let her know that she might have actually offended him with her statement.

Silly her, she should have known from experience that commenting on his style of clothing was equivalent to poking the sleeping dragon into the eye.  
In a valiant attempt to repair the slightly battered atmosphere, she tried to ply his vain ego with some flattery.  
"You know, do not get me wrong there. It's not like you do not look good in leather, quite the opposite really, " she added under her breath, shooting him a sultry look from under her eyelashes that should convey to him exactly how seeing him in leather affected her, "but I was hoping for rather less clothing and more naked skin tonight if you know what I mean, " she purred, hoping to placate him with the blatant invitation into her bedroom.

At that a corner of his mouth shot up into a reluctant half-smile, as if he could not quite suppress his amusement.  
He uncurled his arms from his chest and came closer in slow and measured steps. Stopping right in front of her, he extended a hand to either side of her armchair and leaned in until his nose nearly brushed hers.  
"Oh, but Sarah you will", he breathed, "and I promise you by the time I'm done with you, you will wish that you had never said that. "

The distinct threat in this sentence sent a shiver down Sarah's spine and she didn't know whether to be more worried or turned on by it.  
But before she could consider grabbing the front of his shirt and effectively ending the conversation, he had already straightened up again.  
"But all in good time", he said silkily, "and business first, as they say, so if you're finished being silly, we might actually get to the matter at hand."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. Why don't you get to the point then and say your bit if it's so important?"

"Well, I was getting to that before you so rudely interrupted me. As I said", he continued in a slightly raised voice when he saw her opening her mouth to argue the point, "I came here to settle some scores. You owe me Sarah."

"I most certainly do not! I have not wished for anything in a long time, and all the old debts have been paid as far I as I am aware", she replied heatedly and waved a finger between them to indicate that even the longest standing debt had been acquitted.

"You have, but don't you remember our very first bargain? Didn't I tell you then that I could only grant you thirteen years?"  
He quirked an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"Oh, t _hat_."  
The feeling of triumph she had briefly felt over his admission quickly drained away when she realized that he was right.  
He _had_ promised her that the connection to the Underground would stay open for thirteen years and he had told her then (after the deal had been made, mind you) that she would have to decide between her friends and her life Aboveground. As she was twenty-eight today, the thirteen years were obviously up, and she had forgotten all about it. Damn.

"' _Oh_ ' indeed and yes ' _that'_ ", he mimicked her cruelly.

Sarah bit her lower lip as she did some very quick thinking.  
She remembered the times she had had with her friends and took a brief stock of the life she had built for herself. The decision was not an easy one, and to make matters even more complicated she had no clue whether the Goblin King himself would vanish from her life as well if she decided against coming underground.  
Well, she was certainly not going to ask him - it would just look too pathetic if she did.

The Goblin King watched in silent amusement as she agonized over her decision. He could practically see the wheels clicking and clonking in her brain and when she finally shook out of her reverie and announced her choice, he was not surprised in the least.

"Well", she mumbled hesitantly, "I have considered the options and as much as the loss of my friends pains me, I think my place is here Aboveground."  
She couldn't look him in the eye while saying this, speaking to her knees instead.

He sighed.  
"Although not unexpected, I was afraid that you would say that. However, the choice you have made is no longer open to you. It does not matter what you have decided - your place is down in the Underground regardless, as it has been for a long time. And tonight, the evening of your twenty-eighth birthday, I have come to finally collect you."  
The last bit had yet again come out like a slightly pompous and majestic official announcement.

Sarah shot him an irritated glance. What was the matter with him today and his odd mood swings?  
"Er, what? No, I think you did get that wrong. As I said, I wish to stay here and continue my life as it is, even if it means to sever all ties to the Underground forever."

"Oh, I did understand you perfectly well the first time Sarah dear," he said amicably but then his voice swiftly turned cold and hard, "but if you had listened to what I've said just a minute ago, then you would know that what you wish and want is completely irrelevant in this matter. You will come with me tonight and you will stay in the Underground forever!"

She frowned in confusion. "But, but you said then that I could choose, right? So why should I have to come back with you now?"

Jareth let out a humourless and unpleasant laugh.  
"Oh yes, I did say that. However that was _before_ you sold yourself to me body and soul, my dear", he spat.

She eyed him suspiciously.  
"Jareth, are you drunk? What the hell are you talking about?!"  
His weird behaviour was starting to seriously piss her off.

He moved so quickly that she didn't notice him until he was right back in her face again. His teeth were barred in a mask of fury and she recoiled from his ferocious look.  
"Drunk, Sarah? Drunk?! No, I am not drunk, although I admit to being mildly intoxicated with my victory."

His eyes bored into hers and his breath blew into her face as he slowly and clearly enunciated his next words.  
"Oh, you don't know how long I have waited for this day. I've granted your wishes, done everything you asked, been a servant to your every whim – I have practically made myself a slave to you – but no longer Sarah-mine, it's time for you to honour your part of the bargain."

He shushed her with a finger against her lips when she showed signs again of wanting to interrupt his speech.  
"Hush now. Remember how I promised you that you could have everything you wanted, if you only feared me, loved me and did as I say?"

Sarah nodded against his finger.

"Well, I've fulfilled my side of the bargain, wouldn't you agree? And now, I will make sure you make good on yours."

A wicked grin replaced the fierce expression on his face and he grabbed her chin possessively in his hand, his eyes travelling over her face relishing the sight.  
"You are mine Sarah, to do with as I please", he whispered, "you have sold yourself to me, bit by bit, and now I own you body and soul."

He was still fixing her with that blazing gaze and she had to lower her eyes, no longer able to stand his intensity.  
Goosebumps of dread had erupted all over her skin and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

He had been many things during the considerable time of their acquaintance – arrogant, playful, seductive, tricky, sullen and temperamental, but never he had he been so downright menacing before.  
Suddenly she saw with all clarity that he was not, in fact, a benevolent little fairy, harmless and easily bullied into doing one's bidding, but a powerful magical being in his own right that could easily crush her with a flick of his finger if he chose to do so.  
It felt like a well known and loved had pet had suddenly turned savage on her.

Finally he let go of her chin and stepped back.  
Released from his penetrating glare, Sarah gulped and shook her head trying to rally her scattered wits and courage.  
Menacing and more powerful he may be, but she wouldn't be Sarah Williams if she just gave in without a fight.

"This is completely and utterly insane", to her displeasure her voice trembled but quickly gathered strength when she felt her own anger rise at his presumption.  
"We made bargains and I gave you the payment that was due, end of story. I have done no such thing as sell myself to you!"

"Oh, but Sarah you have", he insisted, "think again, what have you given me in compensation for your wishes? Didn't you give me your hair, your blood and your breath?"  
He looked at her enquiringly and she nodded reluctantly in response to his question.

"Yes, you did and this is ancient fae magic Sarah – blood, hair and breath freely given will entitle me to your body.  
But that's not all, think of all the little trinkets I have collected from you over the years. Mere junk you might say, and many a time you probably did not waste a second thought on what exactly you were giving away in your haste and your greed to get what you wanted.  
I did though, and I have chosen well.  
Every time I asked for a payment I made sure it was something that was intimately connected to a part of your personality. And you were more than obliging, weren't you?  
Thoughtlessly and callously you have bestowed tokens of affection from friends and family on me, given me symbols of your love, your hate, your friendship, your ambition, your success, your imagination, your sadness and despair. You shared with me the highest pinnacles of your triumph and your darkest hours, totally ignorant that by doing so you would give me power over you.  
Every time you called on my I collected a little piece of your soul, and it's mine now Sarah-dear, just like your body."

Sarah finally snapped.  
She launched herself at him with an almighty shriek and started to pummel every bit she could reach with her fists.  
"You evil, filthy rat-bastard of a king! You lied to me, you tricked me, you seduced me and made me believe all this time that I had a choice. You, you…"

He obviously did not care much for her outburst and effectively stopped her by laying a hand on her throat. His touch was feather-light, but the mere feeling of his gloved fingers just next to her windpipe was threat enough and she stilled instantly.  
"Ah, ah, ah Sarah, none of that from you!"  
"Spare me your temper-tantrums, it's not my fault that you were too careless and stupid to think your actions through properly. Did you really believe that it would be so easy? That you could coerce a powerful fae into doing your bidding and just walk away?"

He looked her over with a derisive sneer.  
"Yes, greed and ignorance have been the downfall of humanity for a long time, and ultimately every one had to pay the price who foolishly invoked magic far more powerful than themselves.  
And you, my dear, will better start learning that lesson quickly. I will not take cheek from you, gone the days when you could order me around according to your whims – no, now _I_ will rule _you,_ and you will be right there under my thumb where you should have been from the very beginning!"

His grip loosened and Sarah batted away his arm and retreated a few steps.  
How she hated him at this moment.  
Her eyes glowered at him, clearly betraying her suppressed anger, and she balled her fists at her side to keep herself from scratching out his eyes.  
"Well, looks like I don't have much of a choice then, does it?" she snarled.

He smirked at her.  
"Well actually you do. You can either choose to come peacefully and quietly, or we can draw this out into a messy affair and I will abduct you by force. It's your choice really, " he quipped dryly.

Sarah felt like the intense rage that flared up in her would soon give her a brain haemorrhage. She vented her feelings with a good kick against the sofa.  
"Bastard!" she said under her breath in the hope that he would not hear it.

"What was that precious?"

Too much to hope for as it seemed.  
"Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering, why me?  
Why did you do this to me? Is this your way to get back at me? A sick and petty plan for revenge because I beat you at your game so long ago?" she sneered.

"Tell me Jareth, is it that? You could not get over the fact that a mere girl got the better of you and so you decided to orchestrate an intricate scheme instead that assured that I would be trapped in the Underground anyway?!"  
Her temper had run away with her again and once she had started she could not stop herself from voicing her anger and contempt.

She stood still in expectancy of his wrath.  
Apart from being disrespectful, it was probably not the best moment to flaunt her victory right into his face.

But to her surprise he only laughed quietly.  
"Oh no Sarah, it's much more complicated than that. I will admit though that winning _this_ little game of mine does indeed give me immense satisfaction."

He started walking up and down in front of her, looking back at her every so often as if to ensure that she was still following him.  
"But that's not the main motivation behind "my scheme", as you call it. I've wanted you ever since I first laid eyes on you.  
An easy task as I first thought, young impressionable and innocent thing you were then.  
But I was wrong, you proved to be much more challenging than I could ever imagine. Stubborn and unabashed you fought your way through my labyrinth, tricked where the inhabitants were stupid enough to let you and callously charmed your way into the hearts of guileless twits in order to achieve what you wanted.  
You showed a power of will that impressed me and you reminded me of myself with your ruthless and cunning resourcefulness, never allowing yourself to admit defeat.  
I was intrigued and even more determined to have you, but unsurprisingly you even withstood all my attempts to entrap and seduce you.  
And then there was my last chance and for a moment I thought you would give in. Had you agreed to my proposal at the end, well you would have been mine there and then.  
But you didn't. Instead you brazenly declared yourself my equal and denied me any power over you.  
How I hated you in that moment, and how I admired you all the same."

His voice had become low and husky and he stared at her hungrily.

"So you won and that was the end of it, or so I thought, but then of course you decided to call on me again.  
There you were, cool as you please, and had the guts to ask a favour of me - of me, a being much superior to you, but defeated and humiliated by you all the same!  
It was beyond infuriating, but also it was exactly what I needed - a second chance.  
And this time round I made sure that _I_ would win the game."

He stretched out his hand and gently cupped her face.  
"Can't you see Sarah?" he crooned. "We're well matched, you and I.  
You have proclaimed yourself my equal, and in many ways you are. You're gloriously brilliant at times, fearless, determined and as cruel as me.  
Your will is as strong as mine, but your greatest strength was also your greatest weakness and your downfall - you wanted too much, too soon - and in the end that allowed me to defeat you."

Had he simply gloated or ridiculed her for her stupidity, she would have been able to defy him, but the softness of his voice and the, however twisted, compliment he had paid her finally did it.

Sarah cracked.

Moisture glinted in her eyes and her lower lip trembled with the effort to suppress her tears.  
"But I don't want to give up my life here" she blubbered pathetically and hung her head.

The picture was as endearing as it was ridiculous, and the Goblin King sighed in exasperation at her childish display.  
"Ah come on Sarah", he huffed impatiently, the solemn mood of a moment ago obviously all but forgotten, "it's not like a lot will change for you in the end of the day. You will still get your every whim satisfied, you can gallivant around the labyrinth with Deedledeedums and Honkyponky, and you will still share your bed with me."

That snapped her out of her pity-party right away and she glared at him scandalized.  
"If you think that I will ever go anywhere near you again after all of this, you obviously had one too many of your hallucinogenic peaches!" she hissed venomously.

He shrugged, obviously unconcerned by her threat.  
"I don't see that you've got many other options my dear, unless you want to share a bed with Hoghead?" he leered at her wiggling his eyebrows.

She shot him a look of utter disgust.

"Thought not. Besides, it's a moot point since we are as good as married anyway."

"Excuse me, what?!", she screeched incredulously. "That's preposterous!"  
Give it to him to come out with something ludicrous like that on top of everything else.  
"You know, just because you managed to get into my pants does not mean I have to marry you and I most certainly won't!"

"Oh that's not it, at least not alone. The consummation of the marriage naturally plays an important role too, albeit of course most decent fae women would prefer to wait with that bit until _after_ the marriage…"

"You lousy scumbag!" Sarah exploded. "How can you throw that into my face, as if you hadn't greatly enjoyed yourself there too!"

"Ah but precious I was not complaining about that in the least. Thirteen years is, after all, a _very_ long time to wait, even for an immortal being like me, but the fact remains that we have also been betrothed for a very long time now."

Sarah choked on the biting remark she had been about to throw at him and snorted ungraciously instead. "Yeah right, you know that's ridiculous. How exactly do you work that one out then?"

To her horror he just gave her a jaunty smile and she knew instinctively that he was about to drop another bombshell on her.  
"Remember how you gave me your mother's necklace? And then when I asked you to bring me a specific flower?  
Well, in other words – you gave me a prized piece of jewellery and bluebells, an act that represents the lady's agreement to a betrothal according to ancient fae law and tradition.  
So seeing as we have been properly engaged for years now, and what with our somewhat premature wedding night thanks to your greedy nature – well, the marriage will be a mere formality indeed at this point."

The sickening smugness he radiated was practically palpable and Sarah groaned in defeat.  
"Alright, so that's me outsmarted yet again then. But honestly Jareth, you've beaten me, won the game and I will have to come to the Underground with you now, practically a slave. Couldn't you leave me at least some dignity? Was it really necessary to drop that one on to me too?"  
She turned away from him and stamped her foot in silent aggravation.

"Frankly yes, it was", he said unabashedly.  
"But come on precious, cheer up! It's not so bad if you think about it. If you marry me, you will become queen after all."

Her back stiffened and she slowly turned around to face him again.  
A familiar sparkle lit up in her green eyes once more when she raised her gaze and looked at him questioningly.  
"Did you say queen?"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Do not own anything from the Labyrinth

* * *

 ** _Here it is, the last of the last and late as usual. Hope you enjoy, it isn't much really._**

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**Epilogue**

The church was already filled to the last bench, but still an endless stream of mourners poured through the portals and squeezed their way into the narrow space left along the walls.  
There hadn't been any places to sit down since a solid hour and slowly spaces to stand comfortably without having your face pressed up against the armpits of the person in front of you became hot commodity too.  
Too soon there wasn't room anymore to swing a cat, and those who weren't as lucky as to catch one of the coveted spots on a grave that allowed for a little leg room got jostled and pressed up against the walls as more and more visitors pushed their way into the already packed church.

The grave notes of a solemn funeral march started to drone from an old organ and mingled with the din of hundreds of voices speaking at the same time.  
People swivelled in their seats and craned their necks as they tried to catch a glimpse of the procession that slowly stepped down the aisle towards the altar.  
A magnificent coffin, nearly crushed underneath the lavish flower bouquets that adorned its lid, sat on the shoulders of four carriers and inched its way closer to the front of the church in tune with the music.  
The burden was not an overly heavy one for the carriers since the coffin was quite empty of course, but nevertheless they accomplished their task with the graveness that was expected.

The cameras followed the coffin's progression to the altar and then swerved towards the foremost bench where Sarah's family sat huddled together, comforting each other in their grief.

They were probably the only true mourners in the whole church, and when Karen laid her hand on the arm of her weeping husband while clutching a lost and forlorn looking Toby to her other side, the hearts of the thousands of spectators who watched the ceremony all over the world went out to them.  
Next to them Bradley Higgs, the supposedly true and only love of Sarah's too short live, daintily wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye.  
Unlike the crocodile tears many of Sarah's actor friends were so adept in producing, his tears were actually in earnest - after all, his convenient solution for avoiding an undesired coming-out had simply evaporated together with Sarah from one day to another.

The last whispered conversations started to die down when the minister walked towards the pulpit, and in the near silence a woman's rather quavering whisper could be hard clearly.  
"Yes, thank you Gladys for your kind words. You know, we were such close friends and I cannot tell you how distraught I am at her loss, but she will live on forever in my heart I suppose…"  
Regardless the touching content of this little effusion, the speaker was quickly hushed and the funeral service began.

A calamity of gigantic proportions had befallen the world – Sarah Williams was dead.

Or at least that was now the generally accepted opinion regarding her sudden disappearance months before.  
When it had become public knowledge that Sarah Williams was missing, the uproar had been great indeed. The biggest ever police investigation since Kennedy's murder had been unleashed on the unsuspecting world and not a stone was left standing as they meticulously combed the country for hints as to what could have befallen the famous actress.  
But neither hide nor hair could ever be found – Sarah Williams seemed to have simply vanished from the face of the earth like a fart in a fan factory.

Despite the numerous conspiracy theories that had sprung up near enough instantly at her mysterious disappearance (oddly, the belief that she had actually been abducted by aliens being one of the most popular ones amongst them), the general consensus was now that Sarah Williams was dead.  
When months of fruitless investigations had yielded no results and leads to terrorist organisations had also come to nothing, the authorities, and with them the majority of the public, had resignedly decided that Sarah must have died in some obscure way and that it would be best for all if they put an end to the whole affair and moved on.

And so a funeral service was held, allowing everyone to say their goodbyes to Sarah Williams who was represented by a depressingly empty coffin.

The bells started tolling and all over the world people stood still for a minute in remembrance of everyone's favourite actress.  
Grieving fans crowded the space before the church and could be seen depositing flowers and candles on the square and in front of Sarah's Manhattan apartment before they fell into each other's arms sobbing uncontrollably.

Yes, Sarah Williams was officially dead and the world was inconsolable.  
They had lost their finest artist and nothing would ever be the same anymore after this tragedy.

Yet still, the show must go on as people say.  
And as soon as the last shovel of earth was dropped on the fresh grave, an unprecedented media campaign started to roll over the helpless country and held it in its greedy fingers for months to come.

Artfully composed obituaries chased each other across the pages of every morning paper and not a single day went past when one couldn't watch Sarah's countless movies on television.  
Fellow actors grasped the opportunity to scavenge some publicity and becomingly lamented her loss, while trying to look their best in front of the cameras.  
And last but not least, has-been musicians were quick to jump onto the running train as well, trying to catch the opportunity to resuscitate their failing careers. Cheesy songs in memory of Sarah Williams were hastily cobbled together and tired out everybody's ears for months afterwards ('Torch in a Storm' or 'Crying Angels in Paradise' being certainly not the best but the most famous amongst them).

In short, every newspaper, television channel, radio station and magazine broadcasted the tragic story of Sarah Williams' glorious career and mysterious demise until the whole thing had been so thoroughly exploited and hackneyed out of all reason that nobody wanted to hear it any longer.

Despite all this, Sarah's fame had never been greater.  
It's probably safe to say that dying will always ensure a boost to one's career and publicity, but Sarah Williams had as usual outshone everyone by deciding to leave the stage of the world just at the very zenith of her career.  
Yes, being officially dead had been the one sure way to become truly immortal in the collective view.

Quite literally and in every sense of the word one might add, the Goblin Queen thought to herself while she watched the whole spectacle through a crystal sitting in her palm, a satisfied smile on her lips and a well-known twinkle in her green eyes. 

* * *

And they lived happily ever after?  
Probably not.  
After all it was a match made in hell, and so it is much more likely that they drove each other mad on daily basis.  
She would be selfish and demanding and he would be cruel and treacherous. He would do everything she wanted and she would in turn fear him occasionally, love him sometimes and always grudgingly do what he said anyway.

And did they have children?  
Who knows? Maybe they had a brown haired boy with blue eyes and a blond girl with green eyes who would grow into a sweet, kind and thoughtful princess and a bold but fair and chivalrous prince, loved and adored by the whole Underground.  
However, more probably their offspring would be sporting a blue and a green eye, a combination of its parents characters and be the bane of the whole underground society.

And the goblins?  
Frankly, they didn't mind too much who ruled them as long as the ale flowed freely, but the reign of King Jareth the Tightpanted and Queen Sarah the Greedy went down in their annals as something like a golden age.  
Between the passionate arguments that frequently shook the castle fundaments and the rainbow-farting unicorns that erupted all over the Underground when they made it up again, their monarchs had indeed very little time and thought to spare for the goblins, and so they were left to do what they did best and liked the most – drink, cause mayhem and steal children.

The end. 

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_Sorry for the biting sarcasm at the end. Unfortunately I do have an allergy against overly cute and sappy happy ends and felt therefore compelled to take the mikey out of these scenarios a little bit._

 _Many thanks to all of you who have read, followed and reviewed this story! It's been a great motivation and quite often an inspiration for me._

Special thanks to:

 _ **bluebellwoods  
KBates  
MyraValhallah  
LovelyAmberLight  
Kellyn1604  
Aysuh  
Anneige  
Sazzle76  
FelineNinjaGrace  
kittyspike08536  
hustlers  
kiera  
SheyrinaLabyrinthianDragon  
FreakinGodzilla  
WhenasInSilks  
pamcakes8  
leiparnes  
… and all the guests of course.  
**_ _  
You guys have been great!_


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